Social Realism

Codes and Conventions

A Girl Like Her | The Perks of Being a Wallflower | The Diary of a Teenage Girl
This Is England | The Edge of Seventeen

Initially we see a
sense of normality
through the fast pace
editing of A Girl
Like Her which then
shifts during the
second act to portray
negative emotions of
hate and disdain.

There is often a shift of emotion portrayed through lighting, editing and

sound within each trailer we have analysed.
In This is England
the joyous
non-diegetic music
creates an uplifting
warmth for the
threatening skinhead
culture, however this
is again then shifted
through the low pitch
enabling a serious
tone.

Although they may initially start off in different ways, they show a sense of
trouble which in turn perpetuates the conflict of the film.
A Girl Like Her: uses the
school setting with bright
lighting, fast editing and
non-diegetic guitar music
to create a happy
ambiance, which is then
followed by Avery Keller,
her tone of voice presents
her to be a cause of the
conflict within the
narrative.

The Perks of Being a

Wallflower: it is again
presented within the
conversation to the teacher
Charlies troubles of
fitting in, which is the
aspect that creates the
narrative.

The Edge of Seventeen: uses

the school setting, with
darker lighting and less of
a range of shots to
highlight Nadines frantic
emotions, it is shown
within her conversation
with her teacher the sense
of trouble of suicide which
fuels the conflict within
the narrative.

The Diary of a Teenage

Girl: presents the
isolation of Minnie. Shots
at the beginning often show
her alienation from society
presenting her position
within her school
environment to be a main
issue which fuels the
narrative as she strives to
be in the adult world.

The social realist film trailers we have analysed focus on teenagers facing
issues such as bullying and trying to fit into society. They all present
different collective identities and highlight clearly how each group differs.
This is England presents the binary oppositions of
dominance vs vulnerability through the bullying scene.

Through Nadines narrative in The Edge of Seventeen the

audience gain a clear understanding of social status
within the school environment through the montages, as
well as the use of wide shots presenting Nadines
alienation from everyone.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl presents the ideology of

adolescence within aspects of lust. It explores the
ambition of how teenagers wish to grow up fast without
fully growing up, maturing and knowing the challenges
adults face.
I didnt know if

I had sex
today. Holy
s**t.

I wanted him or
anyone else to
f**k me, but I
didnt want to
pass up the
chance.

I want someone
to be so
totally in
love with me
that they
would feel
like they would die if I didnt love
them back

A Girl Like Her perpetuates the severity of bullying and

how it can affect people. As the narrative mainly follows
Averys malicious actions the audience are able to align
to Jess as they are open to the cruelty of Averys
actions. Jess acts as a physical representation of
victims, allowing the empathize with her if they have
also been in the same state of which suicide seems to be
the only answer.
Its never
going to end.
Its never
going to get
better. I
feel like I
have no way
out.

Were zebras,
watching a
fellow zebra
being eaten
by a lion. It
kind of feels
like that.

It wasnt
me just
joking
around,
it was me
ruining
somebody.

AVERY KELLER
I didnt do anything but
joke around with her, so if
you want to have me say Im
sorry for joking around with
her, then Im sorry she
cant take a joke.

The social realist film trailers we have analysed represent teenagers as they
act as a vehicle for the majority of teenagers that find themselves in
positions such as iu theirs.

The narrative allows the audience to become aligned with the main protagonists
as they sympathise with them viewing their troubles as they may often find
themselves in these positions.

GIRL
[...] they play twin brother,
only Arnold's all tall and buff
NADINE
And the other ones like little
and funny looking [...]
GIRL
You and your brother kinda remind
me of that.

The comic aspects

of the trailer
allows sympathy to
be built for Nadine
in order for the
audience to become
aligned with her
character. This is
also heightened
through the
non-diegetic sound
stopping in order
to allow the punch
line You and your brother
kinda remind me of that. to
be more effectively
comical.

The trailer for A

Like Girl Her
allows a serious
atmosphere to be
created enabling
the severity of the
situation of
bullying to become
apparent.
Through the
narrative in the
trailer the dulled
colour, change of
dynamics, and pace
of the non-diegetic
music allows the
gravitas of the
situation to be
notice.

JESSICA
Its never going to end. Its
never going to get better. I feel
like I have no way out.
~
AVERY
I didnt do anything of this. Ok,
so maybe I joked around with her.
She cant take a joke. Everyone
blew it out of proportion. I
didnt do anything!

The cast used within the majority of social Realism film have often been unknown.
This allows the audience to see the narrative as more realistic, enabling the
issues within the film to be able to be easily empathise/sympathised with.

Thomas Turgoose

Lexi Ainsworth

Haley Lu Richardson

Bel Powley

is an English actor, best

known for his role as Shaun
Field in the film This Is
England,

is an American film and

television actress. She is best
known for her role as Jessica
Burns in A Girl Like Her.

is an American actress. She is

best known for her role as
Maggie Townsend in the film
The Bronze.

is a British actress best

known for playing Daisy
Miller in the CBBC TV series
M.I. High.

This Is England uses

accents that are
often found in the
England during the
1980s. This has also
influenced their
outfit choices and
older locations have
been used to build up
the realistic
atmosphere.

Minnie reflects
the 1970s era
of the film The
Diary of a
Teenage Girl
through her
outfit choices
as well as her
style of
cartoons, props
and music taste

In The Perks of
Being a Wallflower,
Charlie embraces
his inability to
socialise, this can
be seen through his
outfits and body
language as well as
through his tone of
voice - quiet and
gentle.

Regional Identities are key in allowing the realistic impression of the

film. The films we have studied use appropriate locations, accents and
language for the setting.
Vlogging has become an
imprinted part of
teenage culture in the
21st century, and A Girl
Like Her has allowed the
character identities of
adolescence to be shown
through the use of
technology, enabling the
narrative of
cyberbullying to be used
effectively

Nadines social
awkwardness reflects
issues commonly found
within teenagers.
Furthermore her outfit
choices in The Edge of
Seventeen show that it
is a film derived from
the present day in the
21st century